SuperSpec

Saturday, 22 October 2016

Built-in Battery Charger

I've noticed recently that the battery is losing charge very
gradually. I doubt it is the battery itself a it is relatively
new, so I guess one of my 'modifications' is causing a leak. As
it happens I have been thinking of buying a 'smart' battery
charger (One of those you can leave permanently connected and it
will not overcharge the battery) for some time, particularly as I
am about to leave her for 3 weeks. And we know now that
disconnecting the battery is not a good idea as you lose the idle
settings in the ECU.

But I also wanted one where I wouldn't have to keep taking the
bonnet off to clip the leads on. So I bought one that had a
detachable lead and plug/socket. It then has 3 optional types of
lead to connect to the battery, a normal one with crocodile clips,
one with a cigarette lighter plug and one with just 2 bare wires.
The first and third came with the pack, the cigarette one was
extra. So I used the ones with 2 bare leads.

So I wired the lead into the passenger footwell (The 6-way
plastic connector on bottom right is connected directly to the
battery, and you can see the red lead going vertically up to an
in-line fuse). This area is becoming even more of a 'rats-nest',
I really ought to tidy it up. On the positive side I know what
every wire does

And the other end of the lead comes out just by the passengers
arm rest. This shows it with the charger plugged in. In
day-to-day driving it is nicely hidden away. So now it is a 20
second job just to plug/unplug the car.What's the odds on me driving out with it connected one day